So. This summer I took a very memorable trip with dear friends to visit a number of fantastic parks in Wyoming and the Dakotas.

The first surprise was Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. As it’s one of the parks people might casually spend a few hours at on the way to or from other, well-known parks like Glacier or Yellowstone, I can see why some might overlook this unit. They would be making a mistake. Rich with colorful badlands, windy vistas and truly breathtaking river views, it’s just beautiful.

The Little Missouri River

Lots to take in.

Selfie from the GoPro on the front of the car.

Little Missouri River

Lone Tree #1 of 297

The gang up on a windy ridge.

Of course, the principal destination was Yellowstone, and it didn’t disappoint. Certainly, the First National Park presents a formidable lineup of features… geysers, mud pots, canyons, waterfalls, mountains… it’s all there. We also, through the invaluable advice of my friend Dan Keifer, made a point of staying inside the park for the six days we were there. This meant overnighting at historic lodges like the Old Faithful Inn, cabins at Roosevelt Lodge and Lake Village, and more modern accommodations at Grant Village. I wouldn’t do it any other way.

Friends in the front yard and the back yard at Old Faithful Inn

Roosevelt’s namesake

Old Faithful Inn

The Inn in the evening.

Inside one of the cabins at Roosevelt Lodge.

Lake Lodge main lodge

It’s difficult to say what one likes the most about Yellowstone. For me, it probably has something to do with water, whether bubbling up in a spring, exploding from a geyser or falling 300 feet over Yellowstone Falls. For others, the abundant wildlife, wide-open skies, quiet mountain hikes or milky way night skies are all competing for your attention.

The amazing colors of Grand Prismatic Spring.

A handy clock in the lobby of Old Faithful Inn reminds guests of then the next eruption is due.

Old Faithful steaming’ in the morning.

Uncle Tom’s Trail down a whole lot of steps to get closer to the Falls.

Lower Yellowstone Falls.

We also took a day to visit Grand Teton NP, another gem just a short drive south of Yellowstone. Had an absolutely fantastic hike up to a place called Inspiration Point, looking out over Jenny Lake. We visited in mid-June, which turned out to be the sweet spot in terms of awesome weather, waterfalls at maximum flow and relatively manageable crowds.

The Tetons.

Cascade Creek in all its glory.

Atop Inspiration Point.

Inspiring, indeed.

Hiking back down.

Here’s a clip of that surging water… Cascade Creek, it’s called. Some creek.

On the way back we stopped by Badlands NP in South Dakota, as well as Devil’s Tower, but those were return visits for me, so they didn’t count towards trimming down the National Park unit count. You can find a lot more images from our trip by looking on Instagram and using the NPSCircleTour17 hashtag. There are some really lovely wildlife shots by my friend Eric.

Recent Posts

The list: to do by November 28, 2017

1. Make salsa with tomatoes that I have grown myself DONE!
2. Visit 30 new units of the National Park Service (26/30)
3. Purchase a new car DONE!
4. Read 18 of the greatest 100 novels of all time (2/18)
5. Visit the seven counties in Michigan that I still have not set foot in (0/7)
6. Learn how to make great guacamole DONE!
7. Master one video game to completion
8. Hike Half Dome [all the way to the top]
9. Write, shoot and edit “The Island of Dr. Fangboner”
10. Incorporate my business as an LLC
11. Launch an illegal firework on the 4th of July DONE!
12. Write an iPhone/iPad app DONE!
13. Learn how to make five new cocktails (4/5)
14. Watch the sunrise and the sunset in the same day
15. Ride 12 new-to-me roller coasters DONE!
16. See the Northern Lights
17. Attend the taping of two Public Radio programs (1/2)
18. Ride my bike for a minimum of 100 miles a week for a month
19. See nine foreign-language films (3/9)
20. Eat completely vegetarian for one week
21. Learn how to replace hoses and tubes in my car
22. See six sporting events in venues that I’ve never been to before DONE!
23. Attend a D23 event DONE!
24. See five plays or musicals, at least one on Broadway (1/5)
25. Rewatch all episodes of the first four seasons of The West Wing (73/90)
26. Take a wine-appreciation class
27. Come up with two fantastic cake ideas for the FCRT Christmas Party DONE!
28. Attend a midnight premiere of the final Harry Potter movie and three other movies DONE!
29. Get a 2nd generation iPad DONE
30. Ride a burro to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
31. Learn a 3D drawing program
32. Host a dinner party outside my home
33. Take an advanced Motion course
34. Be able to do 25 (well, maybe 15) consecutive pull-ups
35. Increase my fiber intake by 20% without using Metamucil
36. Ride in a helicopter
37. Make children laugh hysterically DONE
38. Do more to support the Democratic Party in Oakland County DONE!
39. Play 4 new board games (2/4)
40. Buy a new bike DONE!
41. Visit 15 new restaurants/bars in Michigan DONE!
42. Maximize my IRA contribution annually (0/2)
43. Go barefoot for an entire day
44. Make quarterly visits to the Zoo (5/11)
45. Throw a pot on a wheel DONE
46. Bike on 14 rail-trails that I’ve never been on (10/14)
47. Get six professional massages (1/6)
48. Tour the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins, Colorado
49. Visit ten new museums (5/10)
50. Take a cooking class
51. Get a T-shirt design accepted on Threadless
52. Drive 100 mph
53. Surprise a server with a 100% tip
54. Visit the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market at least 2x/month in season
55. Attend a NYC taping of a late-night talk show
56. Update this blog at least once a month (16/33)
57. Ride six metric centuries (0/6)
58. Read five presidential biographies (0/5)
59. Go to ComicCon
60. Vacation with friends in another state DONE!
61. Fire a gun
62. Visit a Canadian province other than Ontario DONE!
63. Ride a horse
64. Backup items for my Safe Deposit Box semi-annually (0/5)
65. Dine alongside a lake, river or ocean eleven times DONE!
66. Drive historic Route 66 (at least a couple hundred miles of it) DONE!
67. Visit five of the eight states that I haven’t been to yet (1/5)
68. Buy an item at a live auction
69. Volunteer at the Royal Oak Animal Shelter
70. Ride on a sailboat
71. Visit a Disney Park outside the USA
72. Create a plan to purchase a home
73. Learn how to make a really great Lemon Cake
74. Acquire three new pieces of art (1/3)
75. Mail a wooden postcard
76. Volunteer at a local food bank
77. Visit the Dentist at least once a year DONE!
78. Attend a religious/philosophical debate DONE!
79. Learn to identify 10 new constellations (0/10)
80. Paint a picture using oil paints on canvas
81. Walk on a beach at night
82. Visit three cousins DONE!
83. Develop a great chicken marinade DONE!
84. Jump off a dock or jetty
85. Attend a film festival
86. Visit Solar Decathlon 2015 or 17
87. See Patton Oswalt perform
88. Seek out 16 new bands/recording artists (8/16)
89. Have an original video get at least 2,000 hits on YouTube DONE!
90. Make three kinds of pie that I’ve never made before (0/3)
91. Ride a Segway
92. See a drive-in movie
93. Eat only food items with less than five ingredients for a week
94. Visit three Presidential libraries and/or museums DONE!
95. Complete a wind-power technology/information blog
96. Watch a minor-league baseball game
97. Learn how to shoot HD video with a DSLR IN PROGRESS!
98. Top H$1 billion in my HSX portfolio DONE!
99. Tour ten LEED-Certified buildings (0/10)
100. Look for four new philanthropic or charity organizations and contribute to them (1/4)
101. Get inside the “Bond Villain” house along the waterway in Garden City, SC